This is the second installment of the “Canisius Men’s Basketball Summer Series”, which will feature a look back at various aspects from the 2012-13 season and eventually a look forward to the 2013-14 campaign. These features will be posted every Monday throughout the summer until Monday, Aug. 26, the first official day of school for the 2013-14 academic year.

Last week featured an in-depth look at the top-five games of the 2012-13 season, a season that saw the Golden Griffins win 20 games for the first time since 2000-01 and was capped by a run to the quarterfinal round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. This week, we look back at the top-five single-game performances by a Canisius player.

No. 1 – Billy Baron’s 33 points at Niagara – Box Score Guard Billy Baron scored a career-high 33 points to help lead the Golden Griffins to a 77-70 win at Niagara, the program’s first win in the Gallagher Center since the 2002-03 campaign. Baron's 33 points, the most for a Canisius player in a road game since former Griff Micheal Meeks scored 36 in a win at Pennsylvania Nov. 16, 1994, came after he went 11-for-22 from the field, 4-for-8 from 3-point land and 7-for-8 from the foul line in 39 minutes of action. He also had four rebounds and a steal for the win, and in his column the next day, Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan called him the program’s best player in nearly a full decade.

No. 2 – Harold Washington’s 23 points vs. St. Bonaventure – Box ScoreHarold Washington scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as the Golden Griffins knocked off long-time rival St. Bonaventure 72-69 in front of a sold-out Koessler Athletic Center. The win over the Bonnies improved Canisius to 2-0, the program’s first 2-0 start since 2000-01.

Washington, who had 22 points in the season-opener against Boston University five days earlier, went 7-for-14 from the field, 3-for-3 from 3-point land and 6-for-8 from the foul line, making two key free-throws with four seconds left on the clock to seal the victory for the Blue and Gold. Washington drew early foul trouble against St. Bonaventure and scored just five points in 10 minutes of action in the game’s opening stanza. He ended up playing all 20 minutes in the second half and also added three rebounds, three assists and a steal to his final stat line.

No. 3 – Billy Baron’s 30 points at Youngstown State – Box Score With the 2012-13 campaign hanging in the balance, Billy Baron took over and almost single-handedly kept the season going. Baron scored a game-high 30 points, with 26 of those points coming in the second half and overtime session to help lead Canisius to an 84-82 overtime win at Youngstown State in the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Canisius trailed by 22 points with 18:17 left in regulation time before Baron took over. The Griffs got back in the game on the power of a 20-0 run over the span of 6:48 midway through the second stanza, with Baron pouring in eight of his team’s points during the run. Trailing 73-70, Baron knotted the game up with an NBA-range 3-pointer from the top of the key with 52 seconds left to play in regulation, and with the game tied at 82-82 in the closing seconds of overtime, the East Greenwich, R.I., native was fouled on a 3-point attempt. With 2.1 seconds left to play, the team’s top free-throw shooter hit two of three chances from the stripe to allow Canisius to earn its first postseason overtime victory since the program’s epic four overtime win against No. 2 NC State in the first round of the 1956 NCAA Tournament.

No. 4 – Chris Manhertz’s 18 rebounds at Marist – Box Score Chris Manhertz had 10 or more rebounds in 13 games during the 2012-13 season, but his 18-rebound effort at Marist in December was easily his best. In a run-and-gun battle that saw Canisius go on the road and defeat Marist by the final score of 94-82, Manhertz’s 18 boards helped key Canisius’ first 2-0 start in MAAC play since the 1997-98 season. Head coach Jim Baron said after the game that Manhertz’ s18 rebounds, which saw 11 come off the defensive glass, helped fuel the Griffs effort on defense and helped kick start the team’s offense, which posted its highest point total in a regulation MAAC game since the 2005-06 season.

No. 5 – Jordan Heath’s near triple-double vs. Loyola (Md.) – Box Score No player in the 109-year history of the Canisius men’s basketball program has posted a triple-double. There is a small list of players who have come close, and Jordan Heath added his name to that list Jan. 31 when Canisius beat Loyola (Md.) at home by a score of 91-79.

Heath scored a career-high 21 points to go with 11 rebounds and a career best seven blocked shots as the Griffs defeated the Greyhounds in their final trip to Buffalo as a member of the MAAC. Heath went 8-for-11 from the field, 3-for-4 from 3-point land and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line and was also credited with a steal and an assist in the win for the Blue and Gold. His 21-point, 11-rebound effort was his second double-double in a three-game span and he became the first Canisius player since former Griff Elton Frazier during the 2009-10 season to record 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in a game.

Honorable Mention List Isaac Sosa’s eight 3-pointers in Canisius’ 82-54 rout of Longwood in the Koessler Athletic Center… Reggie Groves scoring 12 points on the power of four second-half 3-pointers in the Griffs’ 72-62 win at Temple… Jordan Heath’s 17 points and 13 rebounds in the team’s 67-50 win at Rider, just the second win in program history in Rider’s Alumni Gymnasium.

Next MondayGoGriffs.com will unveil the top-five plays of the 2012-13 season.

Join the DiscussionWant to add your vote to next week's look at the top-five plays from the 2012-13 season? Send a tweet to @Griffs_MBB using the #SummerSeries and the best suggestion will be considered for one of the year's top-five plays.